1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of thermoses. A thermos is a container for keeping liquids at almost their original temperature for several hours. The thermos has two walls enclosing a vacuum and is fitted in a metal or plastic outer case. Some thermoses do not have a vacuum. For purposes of the present invention, a thermos is defined to include all types of thermoses including those that have a vacuum and those that do not have a vacuum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thermoses have been in existence for many years. In general, a thermos either has no cap or is fitted with a cap which is screwed in place on the upper body of the thermos when the thermos is in the closed condition. In the prior art, when the user desires to consume a beverage which is contained within the thermos, a valve is opened and if the thermos has no cap then liquid is poured into a separate cup or glass. If the thermos has a cap, the cap is unscrewed and functions as a cup. Liquid is poured from the thermos into the cap and consumed. This functions well when the user is seated at a table or adjacent another flat surface when the cap or separate cup can be placed on the flat surface and the beverage from the thermos poured into the cap or separate cup. However, when the user is in a moving vehicle such as a car or public transportation vehicle such as a bus, train or airplane, it becomes more difficult to hold the cap or cup in one hand and pour liquid from the thermos into the cap or cup with the other hand while the vehicle is in motion. In addition, if the person is driving the vehicle, it becomes extremely difficult to pour liquid from the thermos into the cap or cup while driving the vehicle. In addition, if it is night-time and darkness surrounds the vehicle, the difficulty of the process is greatly increased. Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved thermos which facilitates easy consumption of the liquid, especially if the user is in a moving vehicle.
One type of thermos which is known in the prior art has a central pushbutton valve assembly which causes the thermos to be in the open condition when the button is pushed to a downward position, thereby enabling liquid to be poured from the thermos. The thermos has a small circumferential ring which surrounds the button and when a downward force is exerted on the small circumferential ring, the valve assembly is moved to a closed position so that liquid no longer can be poured from the thermos. When the user is in a lighted area, the small circumferential ring is readily visible and can be easily pushed to close the valve. However, when the consumer is in a vehicle when the light is dimmed, especially if the user is driving the vehicle, it becomes more difficult to locate the small circumferential ring to close the valve on the thermos. Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved closure means to close the valve on the thermos when the user is in a darkened area and especially if the darkened area is in a moving vehicle. This problem is compounded if the user is driving the vehicle and therefore must have at least one hand on the steering wheel.
Finally, the user sometimes wishes to place the thermos in the user's briefcase which contains paper and other valuable objects such as a laptop computer. Even though the valve known in the prior art does close the thermos, there is sometimes a small amount of liquid trapped within the interior of the valve which could leak out into the briefcase and potentially damage the written document or laptop computer also contained within the briefcase. Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved valve assembly which assures that even the smallest amount of liquid will not seep out of the thermos when it is laid horizontally within a briefcase or other carrying case which contains written documents and valuable electronic accessories.